Rose Bowl: Game day information, live chat and updates: Stanford vs. Michigan State

Stanford fans cheer as the team enters the stadium prior to the 100th Rose bowl game in Pasadena, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan.1, 2014.
(Keith Birmingham Pasadena Star-News)

Join our live chat througout the day for the 100th Rose Bowl. College football and USC writer Scott Wolf will take questions starting at noon. Join the conversation throughout the game and get photos and video from the stadium. Join the chat on twitter, use #LANGrosebowl.

LAST MEETING: Stanford defeated Michigan State, 38-0, in the 1996 Sun Bowl. It was the Cardinal’s first shutout since 1974. Michigan State leads the series, 3-2. This is the teams’ first meeting in the Rose Bowl.

KEY STORY LINES: Stanford is in a BCS game for the fourth consecutive season, winning 2, including a 20-14 victory over Wisconsin in last year’s Rose Bowl. The Cardinal is also trying to win back-to-back Rose Bowls for the second time in school history. Stanford won back-to-back Rose Bowls in 1971-72. ... Stanford is seeking its seventh win against a ranked opponent this season. The Cardinal has won 10 consecutive games against ranked teams. ...Stanford needs 95 yards rushing to break the school record of 2,837, set in 2009...Michigan State is seeking to add to a school-record for wins. ... The Spartans are playing in their first BCS game in the BCS era. This is their fifth Rose Bowl appearance. Michigan State is 3-1, beating UCLA (28-20 and 17-14) in 1954 and 1956 and USC (20-17) in 1988. UCLA handed the Spartans their only loss, 14-12, in 1966. ...Michigan State is looking to get the Big Ten its first Rose Bowl win since Ohio State beat Oregon, 26-17, in 2010.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Tyler Gaffney, who sat out last year to play pro baseball, is the hammer of Stanford’s run-first offense. The senior has rushed for 1,618 yards and 20 touchdowns. He has a way of finding a crease when it doesn’t appear one exists. He’s built in the form of former Stanford back Toby Gerhart, who is in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. ...Shayne Skov is the heart and soul of the Cardinal from his linebacker position. He plays with a high motor and comes up big when Stanford needs it most. ... Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. He has the speed and moxie to take away Stanford’s home-run hitter, Ty Montgomery. ...A year ago, quarterback Connor Cook was the back-up in East Lansing. By season’s end, he might have been the Big Ten’s best, leading the Spartans past Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.

PREDICTION: These teams are mirror images of each other. Both like to play power football. The key battle will between Stanford’s offense and Michigan’s defense, which is a wash, so it will come down to that Stanford’s defense is better than Michigan State’s offense. Also expect big plays from Stanford’s Ty Montgomery. Stanford wins, 14-10.